


Talking with Zhang Yixing: I don't want to work hard either, but who could do well without working hard?

by Hornet394



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Gen, Interviews, Official article, Sina Interview, Translation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 11:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13612635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hornet394/pseuds/Hornet394
Summary: Translation ofJanuary 2018 Sina interview with Yixing





	Talking with Zhang Yixing: I don't want to work hard either, but who could do well without working hard?

Taken from: http://ent.sina.com.cn/tv/zy/2018-01-23/doc-ifyqwiqi6021742.shtml

**Talking with Zhang Yixing: I don’t want to work hard too / But who can do well without hard work?**

_What does hard work mean? Zhang Yixing reveals a resigned smile. “If you can do well without hard work, who would want to work hard? I don’t want to work hard too, but who can do well without hard work?”_

Talking with Zhang Yixing: The harder you work, the luckier you are  
Written by: Ran / Photography by: Chen Zhi

In 2008, 17 year old Zhang Yixing became a trainee of a top overseas entertainment company through selection. During his first time being abroad, he didn’t know what he was doing, he only waited for the company’s arrangements every day. 

After fumbling through three months, he was sent back to China due to problems with his visa. After a period of time - which was far longer than he expected - of “rest” with nothing to do, Zhang Yixing, who had begun to suspect that the company had forgotten about him, was able to return to his trainee life. It was in those few months at home that he realized that he almost hadn’t learnt anything. The emptiness of realizing that he wasn’t improving made him treasure his opportunity to receive training.He started to train proactively, the company’s regular classes were six hours, and he would take on extra by himself, training 12 hours a day.

Professionally, he began to move forward step by step. Yet, the brazen youth was once again sent home due to a scuffle. In the days that he made reparations for his brashness, the deep regret at his own actions, and the fear that his journey into music would just end like this weighed down on Zhang Yixing continuously. Just give me one more chance, I will for sure… He swore a harsh oath to himself secretly, but in day after day of waiting, he dared not give himself too much hope.

Near the end of 2009, Zhang Yixing was recalled back to the company, and “started to train as if he was inhuman”. Everyday he tied 2 or 3 kg of sandbags and weights to himself, doing homework that was twice or thrice the amount of others, repeating those dance moves over and over again. In his memory, the next few years of trainee life was colourless, without much memory——Not because he didn’t want to talk about it, but the monotony of going back and forth between the dormitory and different practice rooms had made him so numb that there are not many stories to recall. Racking his brains, he only managed to share this. “I remember when I was training intensely, once I noticed the time it was still March. Then later, suddenly, I became aware that it was already June. Three months, and I didn’t even know how it just... passed.

“You’re making me talk about that period of time in detail, but it is blank to me. I only know that I kept training, kept dancing.” He sighed. “Perhaps, when someone is really focused in something, he really wouldn’t know that time passes rapidly.” In 2012, Zhang Yixing finally debuted as part of his company’s key boy groups.

Four years, he entered and left the company a few times. Zhang Yixing was arrogant, was brought down, wasted his time, but also developed a heart to persevere. At first he was a trainee “who couldn’t do much of anything”, and later became the “god of training” that was revered among the trainees. After that, he was chosen from the hundreds, perhaps even more, talented people in the company, and became the “lead dancer” of the new group. After four years of transformation, Zhang Yixing understood intimately what it meant to be a trainee, and was more than clear of what to throw his all into while being a trainee.

In the first preview released by “Idol Producer”, “Nation’s Producer Representative” Zhang Yixing sat in the interviewing area properly, his face solemn as he shared how he understands “trainee”. “The term ‘trainee’ means for you to train well, to prepare well, and then get on stage.” Pausing, his tone raises, and his brows furrows as he points out sharply, “You haven’t practiced well? Then who are you to get onto the stage?” And in the first proper video released last saturday, “Why are you shying away from the high notes”, “there is a huge problem with your balance”, “you’ve tied yourself up”... Phrase after phrase of harsh comments were thrown out, startling most people, as this image was vastly different from the one he usually presented to the public, the boy who was described as the “docile sheep”. He is earnestly frustrated on behalf of trainees who are not serious, or are not prepared for their performance. He knows that if you don’t put your all into it, there is no chance to debut at all. “If you keep a back-up plan for yourself, this game won’t be fun anymore.”

Before Zhang Yixing’s private weibo was discovered by the public, his weibo display was already “work hard, harder, and even harder”, which is still in use today. Meanwhile, in “Idol Producer”, he also repeatedly emphasizes a phrase: The harder you work, the luckier you are. “Hard work” seems to have become a label on Zhang Yixing, but as this word is mentioned and seen in different situations and forms, there have been unpleasant rumours born due to such. We asked him, what does hard work mean to him? Zhang Yixing revealed a smile that is quite resigned. “I’ve mentioned it before, man can choose not to work hard. If we can do well without working hard, who would want to work hard? I don’t want to work hard either, but... who would do well without working hard?”

The interview is as follows between Sina and Zhang Yixing:

Q: This time you are participating in “Idol Producer” as “Nation’s Producer Representative”. Actually, you have been your own music producer before. What is the difference between these two kinds of “producers”?  
A: They both produce, and they both make me worry over it! I think I’m destined to worry over everything, really.

Q: Being a music producer means you worry over yourself, but this show seems to has you being responsible towards others, is that right?  
A: It is because if I join this show, I have to be responsible to the show. If not, then I might as well not have joined.

Q: To excel in the role of producer representative, did you do any special preparation?  
A: Depends. I’m like a brick, I’ll be moved where I’m needed. If the participants need me I’ll help them. If they are already really good, I wouldn’t say anything either, because I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong things and squash their confidence.

Q: So you will try your best to help others when needed, but you won’t use your identity as PD to excessively intervene into others.  
A: Yes! There’s no need at all. You shouldn’t show off.

Q: In your individual promotional video for the show, you mentioned the “Center position spirit”. How do you yourself understand “Center position spirit”?  
A: That is what the show says. I haven’t emphasized it myself. I personally think that when creating the first impression on the show, being in the center is very important, but within the societal environment, the center position isn’t that important. Try your hardest to do the best you can, compare yourself with yourself and not with others, as long as you yourself don’t have any regrets. This seems easy to say, but it’s very difficult to actually do. You aren’t even aware of it but you are already being compared to others, so this is quite hard. This is a form of control.

Q: At the press conference, you announced that you wanted to redefine the word “trainee” to the public through the show. What impressions do you think the public has “demonized” trainees in?  
A: Maybe they think that being a “trainee” is an occupation that doesn’t do much, maybe they don’t know what a trainee, who is serious in their occupation, are like. Through the process of being a trainee, what can he become? I myself come from being a trainee, everyone can use me as an example... In the past, I wasn’t good at anything.  
Q: You mean before you became a trainee?  
A: Yes. Even then, the teacher in charge of training me asked me, “Can you sing well?” I said I couldn’t. “Do you dance well?” “No.” “Can you rap?” “No.” “Are you more handsome than others?” “No.” (Q: So you had a completely negative view of yourself at first?) I had no choice, I was telling the truth.

Q: Except for what you mentioned, that the public thinks being a trainee is an occupation that doesn’t do anything, there are some who thinks that trainees’ lives are especially difficult, especially weary, where night and day meld into one. What do you think?  
A: I think this term “trainee” is so weird, some people think it’s an occupation that’s especially useless, others describe a trainee’s life as being mindless. Don’t think about it in such extremes. Trainees are students who are in training, they just train. Just think about it in that way. As to how hard you train, it depends on the teacher that takes you in, and for you yourself to explore and discover.

Q: You previously mentioned that the company’s fixed courses are still ok, it largely depends on the trainee’s initiative to decide if they want to train more, right? Do you think “initiative” is very important to trainees?  
A: Yes. Self-discipline is very important. If you let yourself lose in that environment, then that would be a disaster, you will just waste your life. But what if you are always thinking, how can I become better? How can others notice me? How do I perfect the things I am not good at? If you think about this in this way, it really would be very different.

Q: This show will finally select 9 people to form a group. As according to your own opinion, what do you think is the most important to a group?  
A: The most important fact is that they need to be from the same company! (Q: Is this a gag?!) Just kidding, just kidding, cohesion is the most important to a group.

Q: Then, to become qualifying trainees individually, except for precise foundational skills and initiative, what is the thing they need to learn the most?  
A: There are three points. Firstly, they have to be a good person. Secondly, they have to do the things they want to do. Thirdly, they have to enjoy the process, and not focus on the results. For every occupation, you will have quite a complete attitude if you have these three points. But there is an order in this, you need to first be a good man, then do things, and then enjoy the process. 

Q: Are you a person who, after throwing a lot into a certain thing, would care about the results a lot?  
A: If you say I don’t care... Who doesn’t care about the results? I do as well. I just try to care less about it, put less attention into the results, and more attention into the process. What can I learn from the process? What has hard work given me?

Q: In a lot of circumstances you’ve said the phrase of “Work hard, harder, and even harder”. What does “hard work” mean to you?  
A: I’ve mentioned it before, we can choose not to work hard. If you could do well without working hard, who would do so? I don’t want to work hard as well, but who could do well without working hard?

Q: Regardless, to you personally, your hard work has actually brought you quite pleasant results, right? For instance you’ve always wanted to release your music, and after so many years, now you have finally published your own individual album.  
A: I think I’m quite lucky, fate has taken good care of me.

Q: I’ve seen a lot of your interviews, and when you talk about the reasons for success, you’ve always put being fortunate, and luckiness as the first one. Why is that?  
A: Yes. Luck has a very important part (in success). This is because there might be people who have worked even harder than me. For instance, if I dance with sandbags tied to me for more than ten hours, maybe someone has danced for twenty-four hours. But he didn’t make it. This may be a bit of the luck that fate has given me.

Q: Truthfully, if you hadn’t debuted then, what would you do? Did you ever think of alternative possibilities for yourself?  
A: Oh, I talked about that with my mother. At then I told her, I worked hard, I really did the best I could. If I don’t debut, don’t blame me.

Q: Did you think about what you would do in the future (if you hadn’t debuted)?  
A: That I did not. I didn’t leave a back up plan for myself. If you leave a back up plan for yourself, then the game isn’t fun anymore. You may not try your hardest.

Wow, I don’t even dare think of how I was like when I was a trainee... I have a deep memory of when I was practicing my own song “SHEEP” previously. From when I started learning, and after attending class, I practiced a total of eight hours, but my legs were trembling so hard... Perhaps it’s because I’m old now! I didn’t want to admit it, but this was the truth. My legs started trembling. I wanted to dance, but I really couldn’t train anymore, I couldn’t train. To me, for someone as stubborn as me, I was really uneasy with that. I wasn’t as energetic as I was before, it was quite heart breaking. At then I asked myself, how did I manage to train like that in the past?! And then the next day, I bore the pain and overcame it, extending the training time to ten hours. I was quite grateful then, and posted on instagram saying, “Welcome back, god of training”.

Q: One of your own personal goals is to become an excellent producer, joining this show can be a step closer to your target. Do you have other plans to move towards that goal?  
A: I do, I’ve always been planning, always been planning. I’ve planned too much, it’s a bit messy now.  
Q: It’s not going as smooth now?  
A: A little bit, but it’s still fine. I believe I can do it. (I have) hard work, after all!

 

 **#Easter Eggs#  
Considerate tips from PD Zhang to trainees**

 

Q1: If some trainees can’t stand the simpleness and blandness of the trainee lifestyle, how would you talk them through it?  
A: I can’t talk them through this, if someone doesn’t like it how can you talk them through it? Having an interest is the best teacher, this isn’t an empty phrase... (Maybe) to me personally, perhaps he should stop training for a while, and look at how others are training. Perhaps there will be a better effect that way.

Q2: To those trainees who don’t have much musical talent, but want to enter the entertainment industry as a singer, what advice do you give them?  
A: Honestly, for instance, if when you sing, and you can’t sing the right tones, then maybe you can practice through listening to the piano, listening to the music, and then singing along. But if you really can’t improve your tones, yet you still insist on being a singer, then I think it is the wrong choice. But this mistake is only in your choice. I think fate is fair, you won’t only like music for your entire life, you will find something else to fall in love with (and pursue your dreams in). Maybe then, you will be able to only treat music as a hobby. You should go explore more on different paths. The world is infinite, so are the possibilities (this world has for you).

Q3: You entered this industry because of your musical dream. But now, a lot of young people only want to become famous celebrities, what do you want to say to them?  
A: I think everyone has their own dreams that they pursue, some people enjoy the spotlight of being a celebrity, there’s nothing wrong with it. As long as your goal is clear, even if you just want to become famous, then do it, there’s nothing to be (afraid of). As long as you are responsible to yourself, after all, we are all in charge of preparing our future.

Q4: After the show is aired, some participants may become famous overnight. This sudden success may cause them to drown in the feeling of having a lot of fans and fame, what advice would you have for them?  
A: If they did the first two (have a clear goal, be responsible to themselves), then there is nothing wrong with enjoying (the feeling of being famous). Each person’s motive for working is different, because life is not just for work, it is so that we can enjoy life. But I did say I am destined to worry about everything, I can’t help it.

Do you know what my stage name is? It’s “Lay”. (PD Zhang’s bantering start~) You see, honestly, why would they name me “Lay”? At that time (when we were preparing for debut) the company told me they thought the name “Lay” wasn’t bad. I asked why. They said in “Boys over Flowers”, there is a character called Hua Ze ”Lei” (T/N: “Lei” is pronounced the same way as Lay). He was quiet, didn’t speak much, but he played the violin, he was talented and was interested in music... At then I didn’t think much about it, okay okay, you guys handle it. I wouldn’t have known this would become a characteristic of mine that I won’t be able to shake off, “tired” (T/N: “tired” is also pronounced “lei” in Chinese.)

Translated by Hornet394, please do not repost without permission!


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